I received this beautiful masterpiece from Amazon and it came with a nice Joker figurine. Bruce Timm brings the Joker right into your brain making you question everything about the world. Witty one liners and anecdotes setting this story far apart from all other comic adventures. The voice of the Joker, Mark Hamill, is cringy, psychotic, and disturbing. If you haven’t seen this or read the graphic novel *Spoilers Ahead Turn Back Now*.
We start off being introduced to Batgirl (Commissioner Gordon’s daughter) as she is on a mission by herself, leading to help from Batman. Batgirl gets distracted by a villain who has a thing for her. Leading her on a scavenger hunt that needs Batman to bail her out again. This leads to a questionable scene where she fights Batman ending up on top of him. Pausing for a second she takes her top off, bra showing into a black screen. Moments later she is looking in the mirror questioning her decision to have sex with Batman. Batman and Batgirl have an awkward barrier between them now, and Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) decides to give up the suit and stick to her athlete routine of running and doing yoga as a librarian. The story picks up big time when Batman and a detective come onto a crime scene, where we see a bunch of people in chairs with big smiles and wide eyes, clearly dead. Making their way immediately to Joker’s cell. Finding out Joker has been replaced by an average guy doppelgänger.
While this is happening, Commissioner Gordon is at his daughter’s place making up for their father-daughter date he missed. Putting together a scrap-book of when Joker first met Batman, a knock on the door! Barbara says she is expecting her friend to come by and gingerly opens the door……to a clown with green hair! A gun is quickly dispensed into her waist by the Joker, as he wastes no time and fires a shot into Barbara right through her spine! Joker’s henchmen grab Commissioner Gordon and begin pummeling him, as his daughter lies on the ground in a pool of blood. It is not shown, but the story clearly implies Joker having his way with Barbara in a very sick psychotic imagination of a rape like scene. This is where the story really begins to get dark.
In a few scenes prior, Joker had purchased a carnival and found a set of freaks to put on display. A bearded woman, a wolf man, a huge giant looking man, as well as a two-headed young child, just to name a few. Joker takes the newly captured Commissioner Gordon to his carnival, leaving him naked in cage. He is dragged along by some terrifying midget-like babies, coming to a ride through hell for anybody that is a father. The Joker belts out a show-tune as the ride continues with screens showing his daughter naked, beaten and bloodied. Laughing with a big smile and questioning why more people don’t go crazy like he does. Throughout the movie we are given flashback and tidbits showing how the Joker became this way. Finding out suddenly that the night of his first robbery, his pregnant wife had been killed in a freak accident. Not having much direction, the Joker is given a “Red Hood” outfit to wear during his first robbery. Of course security is on the scene forcing the plan to audible, leading to an iconic fall into some chemicals by the Joker! Pouring out into the back sewers of Gotham. Joker gets up, seeing his reflection in a puddle during a rainy night. A white face and green hair, has altered his appearance, as he begins to laugh and laugh and laugh! Batman is shown in the hospital with Barbara unable to have any feeling in her lower extremities. The doctor says that Barbara will never walk again. Eventually Batman goes on the prowl and finds Joker at his carnival freak show. Taking on all the freaks single-handedly, making his way to freeing Commissioner Gordon, and chasing down the Joker through a vintage “Fun House.” Winding up in an upside down room where Joker smashes Batman with every object he could find.
Batman fights back knocking Joker down causing him to use his last resource, a gun! They fight back and forth struggling, ending up outside the Fun House with Joker grasping the gun, aiming it at Batman, point-blank range! He pulls the trigger……..and a flag reading Click! Click! Click! is displayed with no bullets left. Joker shrugs it off and tells Batman to finish him off. Batman gives him another option and tells the Joker he wants to help him. Joker is baffled by this, so he tells Batman a long joke, which ironically leads to both of them laughing together. Batman puts his hands on Joker’s shoulders laughing and laughing, ending the movie abruptly! If you wait a minute or two. The post credits scene, show Barbara Gordon in a wheelchair on the phone with her Dad. As she enters into a secret chamber with high-tech computers everywhere, a picture of the Oracle appears on her screen as the scene ends!
This was a lot of fun for me to watch. It really does the story justice, playing out in animation seeing how psychotic the story is. We saw a lot of Batgirl and were introduced to Joker’s back story a little bit. My one complaint was the R-rating! I only remember two curse words, and the implications were R-rated, not what they actually showed. There was some bloody disturbing images but all in all, not R-rated in my view. It is a very dark story, leaving your imagination definitely in question. I absolutely loved it and hope Warner Bros and DC Comics continue to make such wonderful on-screen masterpieces! Let me know what you thought of this great story in a comment below or on twitter @MAK10GATOR !
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